Slack adjuster for railway car brakes



Dec. 1, 1931. c. .1. NASH SLACK ADJUSTER FOB RAILWAY CAR BRAKES Original Filed Nov. 14. 1928 2-,Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 1, 1931. c, N 1,834,105

SLACK ADJUSTER FQR RAILWAY GAR BRAKES Original Filed Nov. 14. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 20 |-1 1mm 79.9 N 1 m "HIM I 9 mam s ms/L Patented Dec 1, 1931 ogABLES a. mean; on CHICAGO, emm Awesome eme-mica Ar,

mommoo mcomommox or ILLINOIS l interim FOB RAILWAY 31mins "Ap nc tionmn n veneer 14-,f.:192s';-seriaiivo 319,254. Renewed ugust 11,1930; I

The invention" relates to manually-operated adjusters for theioundation bmke rigging of a railwayoar, its objects being to secure simplicity and reliability of action,

with aeleqi late strength 't'o withstand the stresses ofservi'cgw V I A preferred emhodiment of the invention is hereinafter described? and is I illustrated in the aceompanyingdmwings, in which:

Fig. '1'- adetail; diagrammatic viewof the foundation brake rigging as a'ppliedto a railwaycar; Y e 7 Figs; 2; {and 5 are views in perspective ofva'rioiis elements of the adjusting mechanism'; 1 Fig. 6 isa detailplan'viewof the regulat'or,"tlie parts being in the position they occupy upon'installation I r Fig. 7 is a dete'l, vertical, longitudinal, section of the ad ustirig mechanism taken on the line; 7 %-7 of; 1 same position as in-Fi'g'; 6;

Pg. 8 is a s1 'ilarviewthoipmrts ig; 6fthe 'parts heing in tlie Being shown'in' a position assnmed' during the ad- 2 justing. operationydiid Fig, Qis adetiril seetionomthe line9.9 ofFig. e. 3 j

A- p'air" of car sills isirep'resented at} 10; a pair of car wheels with .their asslociated 3e brakesisshown-at 1'1", 11, one pair for each truck 5 the usualh'rake cylinder is represented at 12 and itspi ston' rod zit-I8, the latter -being attached to a; live lever "14. A pull rod' 15 connects the'oppositeendbf the lever 14: with i a: brake. lever of oneof thegtrueks. A- "pull rod 16 connects the lever 14, intermediate of its ends, with" a dead cylinder leverl? which in turn is c'onneetedbya pull rod 1 8. with one 7 v "depend from thepivotbloek-19 for'conveniof" the brake levers oft-he other truck.

The body of the bloek 19 is enclosed within a box-like rider 23, the ends of which 'are a .ertured; asindicated at 24'; 25', toreeeive the Bar'QUupon-Whieli'it is slidably mounted. The parts 19 and 23 are so proportioned that they are capable of relative movement corresponding with the normal slack of a' The lever 17 is pivoted to an adjustable 9 block 19 Whieli'i s slidably mounted upon a bar EZOrigi dIy attached to thecar frame, as toone of: the sills 10,- by means of hrackets 21 22.

newly" installed brake mechanism. Av paw-l element'26 in the form of a bar havingratchet teeth 27 on its lower-face is-mounted above the rider 28 andcooperates with ratchet teeth 28 formed on the uppervfa ceqthereof'. This pawl element is pivotally attached'to a block 29 sleeved upon and'per'manently seemed to the bar 20 as by means eta bolt 30." Preferably the pawlelementQG is readily detachable fromitspivot and for. this purposefits pivot bearingiztakes the form of a hook 31 which v engages under the. pivot 1 Brake applicationiforee tends 'to move the pivoted end of' the lever 17 to r the: left, having reference toF-ignl and" consequently it maybesaidthattthe forward end'of the; ad-

justingmechanism is-at the left. The'ratchet incident to brake application is, therefore, transmitted through thebloek 19,- theforward end of theirider'23;the ratchetteeth 28;27, the 'pawlelementQfiend the pivot block 29to theibar- 20l j r v The pawl e1ement' 26 is longitudinally-and vertically slotted as. shown at 33to-receivea post 345 rising from the rider 23, and a pin 35 set throughthepost' abovethepawlprevents the teeth of the lattenffrombeing jarred out. of engagement from' the teeth of the rider. The" rear end of the'pawl element 26 is shaped to form a convenient handIeSG-hy means of whiehiitamay' be swung upwardly uponitheremovalo'fthe pint'35: f

upstanding loop"-3i? ties the-two side members of the c pawheleme'nt together and insnresadequat'e' strength: 'Ahandle 38 may ence in manually shifting the samenpon the bar 20.

Upon the installation'of' a new set ofihrake shoes, the levenliand'ithe parts of ,the'slack brakes may shift the block 19 baok- Wardly. The travel. of the-cylinder piston: in

= responds with the normal brake slack but is continued until the brakes are brought firmly ,against the wheels, the rider 23 being moved backwardly to" a corresponding extent.

Thereupon the pawl element is lowered to bring the ratchet teeth again into engagement, the rider being held in its new, retracted position a The pin 35 being re-inserted, the adjusting operation is completed and the brake system will operate with. the desired range'of pis- 'ton' travel. 1 1 H Upon release-ofthe pivot-*bloclrl-t), its forward movement isarrested when it reaches the end of the rider and in subsequent'brake' applications,-'the shoes are set firmly against the wheels by the normal piston travel;

I claim as my invention: 1 r I v 1. Ina brake adjusting mechanism, in combination; a 'fixed bar, a pivot block for the attachment of a brake lever and slidably mounted on the bar, abox-like rider slidably vsleeved upon the bar and enclosing the block, such block and: riderhaving relative movement correspondingto-the normal slack in p U ,riderad ustably mountedon the bar toregulate the mechanism, a tooth on therider and the brake system, a baranchored against longitudinal movement, and means forinterlocking the last'namedi bar to the rider in different positions of the latter. 2. In a brakeadjusting mechanism, in combination, a fixed bar, a pivot block for a brake lever slidable on the ,bar, a rrider slidably mounted on the bar and having abutments for engaging both ends of the block: and spaced to permit'relative movement of the block and rider corresponding withthe normal'slack of the brake system to be regulated,

a bar fixed against longitudinal movement and interlocking with the rider in any of the positions it may occupy on the bar." 7

3. In a brake adjusting 'mechanisnnin? combination, a: fixed bar, a pivot block for" a brake lever loosely sleeved upon the bar,

a rider loosely sleeved upon the bar, and hav ing abutments engageable with both ends of :the block and spaced to" permit limited relative movement of such two elements, and

- a ratchet bar anchored against longitudinal movement and engageable with ratchet teeth on the rider in a plurality of positions of,

the rider on the-fixed bar.

4! In a brake adjusting mechanism, in combination, a.-fixed bar, a pivot block for a brake lever loosely sleeved upon the bar, a rider loosely-sleeved upon the bar, and

having abutments engageable with both endsof the block and spaced to permit limited relative movement of such two elements, a ratchet bar anchored against longitudinal movement and engageable with ratchet teeth on the rider in a plurality of positions of the rider on the fixed bar, -andvmeans for lockin the ratchet bar in engagement with ing aplura-lity of engaging devices; to hold the abutment element in .a .correspondlng number of adjusted ositions. V I a 16.; In a -.brake ad usting mechanism, the

combination-of a fixed: bar, a pivot.block-.;for

a brake lever slidable ontthe bar, a. rider slidably' mounted on the 1-bar, having V abutvments forzengaging both ends ofthe block and spaced to permitrelative-movement of 'the block and 1 rider" corresponding 1 with the normal slack of the brakes stem t to be regulated, a rack tooth on the ri er, and a pivoted Irackv barv attached to the fixed .bar' cooperatring: with ,thejtoot-h; on the rider to regulate the mechanism when excessslack exists V V 7. In a brake adjusting mechanism in combination, a flat bar fixed to the car, a'block sleeved on the bar and adapted tolpivotally support: the fulcrum of a brake; lever, a

a pivoted rack bar secured .to thefixed bar -andcooperating with the i rider tooth to d the er fi a ainst mer m nt by brake application stresses gj c l V mechanism, the

a 8. In agbrak adjusting combination of a fixed bar, a block slidable on clearance, and means including a swinging rack bar for posit onmgthe. rider relat ve to the fixed: bar for adj usting the mechanism.

9. In a brake adj usting mechanism, :the combination of, a fixed .bar, a block slidable onthe barand adapted to, pivotally support a the fulcrum. of .a brake lever, a rider supported by the bar and limitin free movement of the ,blockto normal bra 'e shoe clearance, means includin ga swinging rack bar for positioning the ri er relative to the fixed vbar for adjusting the mechanism, and'means =for locking the rack bar tohold the adjustment}, a V I i In testimon ywhereof Iiaflixm signature.

Q CHARLES NASH. 

